“Gio Ponti always started with a basic theme, and then developed it fully,” says Giulia Molteni, marketing and communications director ofMolteni&C, of the newly opened exhibitionTutti Poni, Gio Ponti Archi-Designerat the Musée des Arts Décoratifsin Paris.Anyone familiar with Ponti’s work is compelled to describe the architect, artist, and furniture designer in terms of fullness: a Renaissance man, a polymath, a multihyphenate. Ponti himself was committed to the design philosophy offorma finita, which translates to finished form, or total work.

Over the course of his fifty-year career, the late Ponti, who died in 1979, was responsible for work across the spectrum: silver trays forChristofle, colorfulMaharamfabrics, furnishings forCassina, a skyscraper in Milan, and even an aerodynamic espresso maker.

The retrospectiveTutti Pontidisplays approximately 400 of Ponti’s works made between 1935 and 1970. Molteni&C, one of the exhibition’s sponsors, began reissuing some of Ponti’s furniture in 2012, releasing new pieces each year; the 14-piece collection was primarily produced in the 1950s. “It was designed for a sophisticated consumer, but still on very functional terms,” explains Molteni, the granddaughter of the design brand's founders. She believes that Ponti’s designs are as relevant and fresh now as they were then. Much like American midcentury design greats Charles and Ray Eames, Ponti was fixated on getting great design out to everyone. “Ponti enriched post-war architecture, indicating the prospects for a new art of living,” the curators ofTutti Pontisaid. The exhibition will be on view through February 10.

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Alitalia's New York Showroom

IMAGE COURTESY GIO PONTI ARCHIVES

Two of Ponti’s armchairs in Alitalia’s New York showroom in the 1950s.

Apta Chairs

IMAGE COURTESY GIO PONTI ARCHIVES

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The colorful folding Apta chairs debuted in 1970.

Montecatini Tower

IMAGE COURTESY GIO PONTI ARCHIVES

Gio Ponti designed the Montecatini tower in 1936. The impressive rationalist tower is still an architectural destination in Milan.

Montecatini Chairs

IMAGE COURTESY GIO PONTI ARCHIVES

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Ponti also created a series of custom chairs for the Montecatini towert. Molteni&C rereleased the aluminum and leather chair as part of its Heritage Collection.